The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-06-30
MARY JAMES TRAVELS.
SHE MAKES ANOTHER ROUND IN
LONDON WITH DlCkEY.
They See Variety of Things Not In the
Guide Bool--Among Other Things
They Have Peep at the Queen.
What They Think of Her.
Special Correspondence.l


LONDON, June Eff you could take q
faucet and bore it into tho London atmo-
sphere, don't believe there is day in the
year that you couldn't turn the screw and
get half inch stream OF water at minutes
notice. II is like n great, grayish yellow
sponge hung over and down upon the town,
out Of which its own pressure squeezes almost
constant showers. The sun Is conspicuous by
its absence, aud what little sunshine does get
down to the earth is so wet that it has to be
wrung out and hung up TO dry before it can
be used. This washed out and rough dried
sunshine is OF very poor quality, but it is bet
ter than none, and the people point to it with
pride whenever it stays long enough to be-
come identified with the community. Last
month, when the May queen was rampant in
the land, she had TO be crowned VIII VIII an UNI
brella and use gossamer for coronation
robes. Mr., Tennyson must have used up all
the poetic license in his stock when he wrote
about the young girl who wished to be called
for an early train, in order TO go out and be
crowned Queen Of the May, II that girl
wasn't a mermaid I've riade mistake in my
estimate of the climate, or the girl, or the
poet. That sne died in the last chapter was not
to be Wondered at, for at that time the Boy
ton swimming suit was not invented, and the
poor thing caught her death Of dampness. ]
heard two Americans talking the other day,
as they Rugged up against wall In the pour
ing rain, waiting for bus:
"Aisl this is 'Merrie England,'h said one
ats merry HI" was the reply, and l
stoppol my ears, though If orthodoxy is
orthodox, the location referred to by the pro-
fame man is anything but similar to England
il May.
Speaking Of swearing, reminds one that
there is great deal less of IL in London streets
| than oip hears ON the streets of even small
towns in America. ! don't know how the
manly habit is kept out Of hearing, but it is,
apd that is just that much in favor of Eng
land. l have yet TO hear an oath on the
street, and notwithstanding the streets are
crowded with vehicles, and their drivers, and
petty jars and accidents constantly occur, the
men never swear, at least not loud enough
to be heard. Dicley says il is company
manners and they swear at home before their
wives and at them; but don't place much
reliance in her Judgment of men, unless they
happen to be nice young men who want to
| fiirt, and then know every one of them is n
''pcrfect gentleman" if she likes him, and
give every man his just due, and admire n
really good man above all things earthly, but
my admiration up to this writing is not
strained from over eXertion.
"Did you ever" said Dickey, interrupting
my writing, "see SO many men wearing silk
hats as you do in LondonP
"No," said |, ~ didn't. wonder why it
is~
"Because," said she, "there are more men in
London than anywhere else"
1t was q wormy chestnut she had put upon
me, but it had the truth scattered through it,
and began to think about what J had seen.
A silk hat, stick OF umbrella, and a pair Of
gloves In the hand, or on the hands, or half
of one and half the other, are as essential to
the outward semblance Of gentleman as
uniform is to soldier on duty. II he had on
nothing else than these three he would DO
held in higher esteem than TO have all elso
and be without them. Tho other Sunday
won't out to Hyde park TO take in the
"Church Parade" between 1880 and 2, when
the swell people wall; and digest tho sermon,
and out Of say 5000 men strolling there,
among three times as many ladies, only
saw ono derby hat, and tina. was on ON
American just over. He had tho umbrella
end gloves, but the round hat ruined the en-
cemblc, and he looked like o last years rose
bud in bunch Of spring flowers. On the
street the universally OF tho silk hat strikes
an American observer CT once, and in very
short timo ho puts his head into tho samo
kind Of covering Nor is 1t tho swell English
m.n only who wears tho "plug." Every man
who can raise tho money has ono, and it
often happens that the hat doesn't fit tho
clothes of the wearer. But he never thinks
OF this; tho hats tho thing.
Ono Gees moro good looking men in London
or the streets than sho does in any American
city that hnvo ever been In, and one reason
of /. 10 that they dress better. Tho dude, as
wo have him, is almost unknown, although
hc may thrive in protected situations with
southern exposure, but tho man who dresses
well is quito frequent and does not appear to
DO afraid of exciting comment IL ho appears
on tho street in what might DO called In
America parlor apparel.
Diclzoy and wero In museum or some
other collection Of statuary tho other day,
and there WIS On undraped figure of O girl
weeping, and so labeled.
sPoor thingI" said Dickey sympathetically,
ano wonder sho weepa"
1whyr said I, examining the marble and
tho catalogue contempornneously.
aFor tho reason. Mary Jane" said she,
athat in great commercial center like this,
where six button kid gloves can be bought
for three shillings and sixpcnce a pair, she Is
compelled to 90 baro handed"
I havc tried 10 train Dickey in this
matter Of the unadornedness OF beauty being
most adorned, since we have como to q land
wncrc art Is up in high q. but somehow
can't do t. 6ho Is always making remarks
in statunry galleries, and sometimes 1 am
quite shocked. l had her in Washington